1. Field
One or more embodiments relate to an end effector capable of improving the accuracy of detection of physical information, and a remote control apparatus having the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A remote control apparatus is an apparatus including a master part and a slave part, and remotely controls the slave located at a remote site by use of the master part. The master part controls the operation of the slave part based on various types of physical information, such as force, tactile sensation, temperature, humidity, and illuminance that are detected from the slave part.
Examples of the remote control apparatus include a surgery robot, a hazardous material handling robot, a patrol robot, a military robot and an aerospace remote apparatus.
The surgical robot represents a robot that performs a treatment or a surgery on an affected area by moving a surgical instrument according to a command by a user, and includes a console corresponding to a master part, a manipulator and an end effector that each correspond to a slave part.
The surgery performed by the surgery robot includes a minimal invasive surgery in which a size of an affected area is minimal, and a robotic surgery. The minimal invasive surgery, different from an open surgery having an abdomen entirely open to perform a surgery, makes a few small incisions through an abdomen and the abdomen is filled with gas to create a surgical space, and a laparoscope and a surgical end effector are inserted through the incision such that a surgery is performed using the surgical end effector while observing an internal image of the abdomen.
The minimal invasive surgery generally involves less post-surgical pain while enabling an early recovery of intestinal movement and of the ability to ingest food earlier relative to open surgeries. In addition, the minimal invasive surgery requires shorter length of hospitalization, and thereby a return to a normal condition is faster. Furthermore, since an area of an incision from the minimal invasive surgery is small, an aesthetic effect is superior. Thus, the minimal invasive surgery is being applied in numerous types of surgeries, including gall bladder removal surgery, prostate cancer surgery, hernia correction surgery, etc., and is increasingly being used in the medical field.
The minimal invasive surgery, however, accompanies difficulty in controlling a surgical end effector and in moving an instrument through an incision. In addition, with respect to minimal invasive surgery, the position displayed through an image to a user, when compared to the actual position inside an abdomen, is reversed both vertically and horizontally. Therefore, a skilled surgeon and medical staff are needed.
The weaknesses of minimal invasive surgery may be overcome in part by performing a surgery using a da Vinci robot. Here, a da Vinci robot is configured to deliver a dimensional image, which is expanded by 10 to 15 times in size without a vertical/horizontal reversal, to a user, and is also configured to deliver the movement of a user precisely to a manipulator and a surgical end effector.
The surgical robot as the above is not provided with a feedback function of a force and a tactile sensation. Accordingly, a user, that is, a surgeon, has difficulty in recognizing a force applied to a surgical end effector during surgical suturing. As a result, a surgical thread is excessive pulled and broken during the suturing, or an excessive force is applied to intestine tissues and thus the intestine tissue may be damaged.
In this regard, a technology is developed to receive a feedback of force and tactile sensation information by use of a sensor, such as a strain gauge, included in a surgical end effector, and control the surgical end effector based on the feedback force and tactile information.
In this case, the detected force information is converted into an electric signal and is transmitted to a console. In a process of converting the force information, that is, physical information, into an electric signal, noise is added so that the reliability of the detected force information is lowered.
In addition, a process of transmitting and receiving force information between a console and an end effector is additionally required, and thus the network traffic is increased. In addition, a time synchronization between the detection time of force information and the display time of force information is required, and also an image of the force information and an image of the surgical end effector need to be individually checked during a surgery operation.
In addition, at the time of displaying an image of the force information at a surrounding area of an image about the surgical end effector during a surgery operation, an additional program for an augmented reality (AR) is required to be installed at a surgical robot.